A Serological Comparison of the Phosphoprotein of the Serum of the Laying Hen and the Vitellin of the Egg Yolk

Abstract

Summary: The anti-sera from rabbits injected with the serum of laying hens gave precipitin tests with vitellin. The anti-sera from rabbits injected with the serum of male birds gave no such precipitin test with vitellin. The anti-sera from rabbits injected with vitellin alone gave precipitin tests with the sera of both males and laying females. It is possible to separate from the serum of the laying hen a phosphoprotein which has physical and chemical properties similar to those of vitellin. It may be concluded from these results that there is present in the serum of the laying hen considerable amounts of a phosphoprotein which is closely related if not identical to the vitellin of the egg yolk. This compound is either absent from the serum of the male or present in relatively small amounts.